Unpacks That Shocking Yellowjackets Murder
Well we’re certainly buzzing about this murder.
After Yellowjackets fans spent months trying to de-bunk the seemingly too-convenient affair between Shauna (Melanie Lynskey) and too good to be true Adam (Peter Gadiot), the jaw-dropping Jan. 9 episode abruptly left us scratching our heads.
Spoiler: Adam is dead. Yep, cold, hard, dead thanks to Shauna’s expertly-honed knife skills. Following the botched blackmail heist, Shauna confronted Adam about his shady past (he didn’t go to Pratt!) and why there was glitter in her closet. Turns out, the true thief is Shauna’s husband, Jeff (Warren Kole).
So where does that leave Adam, besides six feet under?
“Like everyone, we had a lot of questions about really what was the motivation for Adam,” Gadiot exclusively told E! News. “There’s a lot of speculation about all of these different potential scenarios, but as far as I can tell, no one has actually guessed what the truth is: he is actually just who he says he was.”
Gadiot admitted that Adam “in a way is a red herring” and anticipates fans may be “disappointed” in the reveal that there “isn’t some elaborate plan” behind Adam’s genuine love for Shauna.
“When the showrunners [Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickelson] pitched me this character and what his arc was, they basically said, ‘He’s the most important element in the lead characters’ world,'” Gadiot reflected. “Obviously it’s an ensemble piece and there’s so many characters to service, but it would be very impactful.”
Part of that impact was Adam embodying the deep-seeded distrust and trauma that Shauna suffers from surviving a plane crash 25 years earlier.
“It was really interesting how they did it in terms of the flashback with young Shauna as well doing the actual stabbing,” Gadiot noted. “I think the real kind of thrust of it was to show that Shauna is still really traumatized by her past. I think that’s one of the big themes of the show is, how do we escape past trauma? Can we move on?”
Gadiot continued, “I think one of the things that they were playing with this Adam character was that he was trying to present himself as being genuine and honest and earnest, and no one believes him. I think that is actually quite a clever way to demonstrate that our own trauma can project itself on others and, obviously, Shauna killing him a combination of it. She cannot believe in goodness anymore. She cannot believe in honesty anymore, and she goes so far as to murder an innocent man.”
Thankfully, Gadiot assured us that co-star Lynskey, who plays adult Shauna, is nothing like her on-screen alter-ego.
“Melanie is really sweet and she’s very open and welcoming,” Gadiot gushed about his “generous” scene partner. “She really was interested in exploring this together.”
Meanwhile, Gadiot was starstruck by fellow cast member Juliette Lewis while filming in Vancouver. “I’m such a fan of hers, and I was saying to the writers, ‘Wouldn’t it be interesting to have a scene between Adam and her character?'” Gadiot said. “They were telling me, ‘That would be so great, but you know, we just don’t have the screen time. But you are going to be working together one day, for sure.'”
Turns out Gadiot’s big introduction to Lewis was when he could show off his acting abilities…playing a corpse.
“The scene that I was working with her was the scene that they just deal with my dead body,” he joked. “I was looking forward to this all season and then I just have to spend four hours in makeup to be a dead body for a day, while they did a scene over me!”
But Gadiot’s love of Lewis lives on: “Even so, I will say it was wonderful to watch her act. She brings something new to every single take,” Gadiot stated. “She’s such a live wire and just to be there and see how she’s very instinctive it’s a real treat. She’s a really fascinating actor to be in the space with, for sure.”
So, will we see Adam in any season two flashbacks?
“As far as I’m aware, there wasn’t any plans [to bring back Adam],” Gadiot teased, “but flashbacks have been established, so it’s always possible.”
In the meantime, we can spot Gadiot in two new TV projects after the highly-anticipated Yellowjackets finale next week on Jan. 16, which hopefully will clear up a few more mysteries..
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